LOS ANGELES, CA -- (Marketwire) -- 11/03/10 -- Reed's Ginger Brew could soon be feeling the "Oprah Effect." In a recent video about her camping trip in Yosemite with her friend Gayle King, Oprah prepares her favorite cocktail, the Moscow Mule. The recipe for the Moscow Mule calls for ginger beer and Oprah used Reed's Ginger Brew to make her cocktails. Reed's Original Ginger Brew is a Jamaican recipe for homemade ginger ale using 17 grams of fresh ginger root and lime juice mixed with honey, herbs and spices, making it the perfect mixer for a Moscow Mule.

The Moscow Mule was invented in The Chatham Hotel in New York City in 1941 by John "Jack" Morgan and a few friends. They mixed the cocktail in a copper mug, which became part of the tradition. Morgan owned the Cock 'n' Bull Tavern on Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles and introduced the Mule to the Hollywood crowd. By December 1942 the cocktail had become a favorite of the celebrities who frequented his restaurant. An article in Insider Hollywood stated, "There is a new drink that is a craze in the movie colony now. It is called 'Moscow Mule.'"

That popularity continues today, with celebrities like Oprah calling it their favorite cocktail. She is not alone -- there are over 200 cocktail recipes that use ginger beer, but the Moscow Mule is one of the most requested.

Oprah's Moscow Mule Recipe

Ingredients

1 ounce vodka

1 tsp. sugar syrup

4 Fresh limes

1/2 cup ginger beer

1 sprig fresh mint

Directions: In a copper mug, pour vodka over ice. Cut one lime into slices and squeeze the juice from the remaining three into a cup. (Remember to pack the juicer.) To make the sugar syrup, mix 1 1/2 cups caster sugar and 1 1/2 cups water in a pan over medium heat. Warm up for 5 minutes until the sugar melts. Now at high heat, bring to simmer. Decant into a jug and refrigerate until it becomes cold. (Tip: if you are going camping prepare the syrup at home and bring it with you.) Add the lime juice to the syrup and pour a little into each mug. Top up with Reed's Ginger Brew. Garnish with the mint sprig.

Brewed ginger beer originated in England in the mid-18th century and found its way to the English colonies in the Caribbean. It soon became a favorite drink in Jamaica, where it was brewed with limes and local spices. That traditional Jamaican recipe, using fresh ginger root, is the secret to the tangy refreshing taste of Reed's Ginger Brews.